Luoyang Spring

Decades ago, in the spring and March of the fifth year of Cao Wei Taihe.

Zhuge Liang, Prime Minister of Shu, sent troops out of Qishan Mountain to attack Tianshui County. General Sima Yi led the army to conquer under the order. A new round of war drums sounded in the southwestern border of the country.However, for the young scholars who are far away in Luoyang, the capital city, the flames of war seem to be far away.

In the Taixue dormitory that has just been built for several years, there is no sound of reading scriptures, only the shouting and clamoring of students.On weekdays, where the doctor is teaching, two young men with extraordinary looks are sitting opposite each other.There is a smooth square jade chessboard on the table, and seven or eight ivory chessboards stand on it.On both sides of the chessboard there is a hole made of dragons, and the two guard each side, both dressed as young masters.Although his demeanor is polite, he hides his sharpness in his comings and goings.

A dozen Tai students surrounded the two who were competing on the chessboard, making noise while watching the battle.Some pretended to be experts and considered the situation, while others just howled and booed at the top of their throats.

The teacher who was supposed to come to teach did not come for some reason, and the unscrupulous young man was like a wild horse running wild. Who knows who actually produced an auxiliary chess-playing equipment-gaming equipment is strictly prohibited in the academy, and the two confronting each other in the middle The man looked calm, as if he had no scruples about the rules and regulations.

"Ziyuan was aggressive at the beginning, and he really didn't show mercy to Xuan."

The person who spoke, with wide-eyed eyes and a beautiful tree facing the wind, was none other than Xia Houxuan, a famous scholar in the dynasty.He humbled his opponent, but he didn't show any embarrassment, he just leaned forward and moved his chess flexibly.

Competing with him is Sima Shi, with a dignified and elegant face, he is looking at the situation on the board, and from time to time he is trying to figure out Xia Houxuan's expression.Sima Zhao was next to him, enthusiastically making suggestions, pointing to a chess piece and saying, "Hit this!"

Sima Shi nodded slightly, but ignored his younger brother's words, and turned to another chess piece.When the chess pieces collided, the house was suddenly quiet, only Xia Houxuan's chess piece barely stopped at the entrance of the hole, it was only one point away from falling into it.

"Huh!"

There was a sigh in the house, someone patted Sima Shi on the shoulder and said how to play the opponent's chess just now, and someone began to give Xia Houxuan how to turn the situation around.Both of them nodded their heads in agreement, but they had their own thoughts in their hearts.

Sima Zhao's eyes followed the chess pieces closely, and he couldn't help sighing - Xia Houxuan seemed to be being pressed by Sima Master every step of the way, but he defended extremely tightly, and he didn't let the opponent take advantage of it.Sima Shi seemed relieved, turned his face to comfort him: "Don't sigh, victory is not easy."

Xia Houxuan had no time to pay attention to others, and scanned the chessboard with serious eyes.Sima Shi was talking to his younger brother when he suddenly heard the crisp sound of jade and stone colliding.Seeing that the wind direction on the chessboard changed drastically, Xia Houxuan not only saved the day, but also shot down a chess piece played by Master Sima.

Unexpected counterattack——Master Sima looked at the other party, and couldn't help frowning slightly.The crowd erupted in applause, and chatted in a hurry.Sima Shi just nodded, and praised lightly: "Taichu's blow is really beautiful."

"Concession." Xia Houxuan said modestly, but he couldn't help showing a bit of complacency.

Sima Zhao's heart turned to his elder brother, but he also admired Xia Houxuan's skills.He echoed a few words of praise, and suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure outside the window—the man was sitting outside alone, his solitary figure leaning against the stone tablet outside the lecture hall, holding a letter with concentration.

Seeing that no one was alone, Sima Zhao hurriedly greeted everyone and walked towards the person outside the door.

"You guys play first, I'll go out for a while—"

The spring breeze blew across his face lazily, Sima Zhao stretched his arms, and the fatigue of being trapped in a room swept over his body.Looking at the person under the stele from afar——he completely ignored the hustle and bustle in the house, as quiet as a small stone in the mountain.The pure white apricot blossoms fluttered down from the top of the man's head with the wind, matching the plain clothes.

——Ruan Ji, Ruan Sizong.

How to describe Sizong?Sima Zhao walked casually, thinking with admiration.

Among this group of noble sons from aristocratic families, there is no shortage of capable people - He Yan is good at debate, Xia Houxuan is both talented and beautiful, Sima Shi is Shen Yi and elegant, Deng Yang can make friends... and Ruan Ji and him are just ordinary But two people.

In fact, Sizong is also an extraordinary generation, and his knowledge and talents are all the best among people.It's just that he likes to be quiet in his bones and is used to being alone, so he doesn't fit in with this group of lively teenagers.And Sima Zhao was only a weak crown, and he didn't show much excellence among the crowd.Different from Si Zong, he is well versed in the world and is always taken care of by those around him with his warm personality.

However, maintaining your relationship with those around you always takes effort.There are very few people who can make him let go of his defenses and treat each other with his true self without reservation - among his peers, except for his elder brother and relatives, there is only the heir.The elder brother sometimes scolded and restrained him, but Sizong was like a handful of clear water, always able to calm the impetuousness and anger in his heart.

Frank, simple, no disputes, no complaints, no wariness - this is how it is when you get along with the heir, and it is unknowingly reassuring.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Ruan Ji turned his head to look at the person coming from the corner of his eye, but still stared at the letter in his hand.

Sima Zhao was used to the way the other party greeted him out of the corner of his eye, so he walked over and picked up a few petals from the top of his head: "Tell me, is Uncle He Ping's face so white?"

Ruan Ji held the book solemnly: "Uncle Ping is much whiter than that."

Sima Zhao laughed without hesitation, and sat down next to him: "Why don't you sit alone and watch them play chess?"

"Go up. It's too noisy inside. I'll take a breath outside."

"You... always stay by yourself, be careful not to hold back."

Ruan Ji didn't answer directly, but suddenly changed the subject: "Don't blame me for talking too much - the Taixue explicitly prohibits gambling, and they are too bold to set up a game in the school."

"It doesn't matter if the master is not here." Sima Zhao paused, and then asked, "Don't say it outside!"

Ruan Ji couldn't help but despise the other party, "I don't have that skill."

Being robbed, Sima Zhao shrugged.He understands that he is talkative——Sizong is not a meddlesome person. Instead of making trouble for others, this person would rather dedicate his youth to books that he can never finish reading.

Ruan Ji was speechless for a while, flipping through the book on his own.Sima Zhao was on the side, staring at the other party's bright and focused eyes, but also remained silent.

Ruan Ji felt a little uncomfortable being stared at: "What are you looking at?"

Sima Zhao suddenly became nervous, "When I saw Ruan Sizong, it was as if I had entered a library, and my eyes were full of classics."

"Stop here." Ruan Ji didn't lift his head.

Sima Zhao frankly said like a gentleman, "Hey——I just imitate Uncle Ping's and others' tone to evaluate the successor."

"People quote scriptures and classics—what about you? Say what you see. I'm reading, and you say it's like entering a bookstore. If I want to eat, isn't it like entering a kitchen?"

"Yes, if you are drinking, it is like entering a wine cellar."

Ruan Ji couldn't help laughing, the bamboo slips in his hand were flipped softly.Sima Zhao leaned back against the stone tablet contentedly, then leaned over again, reading the disorganized words on the tablet boredly——

General Xia Houxuan

He Yan Shizhong

Deng Yang's Three Dukes and Nine Qings

General Sima Shi

Xun Can Guang Lu Xun Tai Chang Tai Servant

He discovered the name of his elder brother Sima Shi, and suddenly his eyes lit up.Seeing his excitement, Ruan Ji also turned around, glanced at him and smiled: "Yo, Taichu has his eyes on your father's position, and he has a lot of ambition."

Sima Zhao replied casually, "It's not uncommon to see a talent from the beginning of time."

After hearing this, Ruan Ji just shook his head slightly.Seeing that he was pretending to be mysterious, Sima Zhao asked with great interest: "What? In your opinion, how many of our classmates are there?"

"They all have a good reputation for being young." Ruan Ji said lightly.

Sima Zhao saw that he had reservations, "That's all?"

Ruan Ji smiled casually, but refused to speak.

"Sizong, you and I can talk openly, but I won't tell others."

"really?"

"really."

Ruan Ji pondered for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth: "Rewards are false, and achievements are real. In the beginning, Uncle Heping was too high-spirited, and he could make peace with the false and lack real talent. I'm afraid it will be difficult to do anything in the future. Deng Xuanmao is good at making friends and tends to Youli is not enough to make friends; Xun Fengqian is not bad..."

Sima Zhao looked at him calmly: "What about my brother and me?"

"It's inconvenient for Brother Ji to comment. As for Zishang..." Ruan Ji paused for a moment, and looked at him seriously, "Love others and be diligent in what he does. He was born in a family and is simple and capable. He is indeed a good man today."

After hearing this, Sima Zhao stared at the soft and sincere eyes of the other party with some surprise.

"I'm that good?"

Ruan Ji smiled lightly, lowered his head and continued to read.

Sima Zhao couldn't sit still.He stood up excitedly, while pulling Ruan Ji's sleeves, he gestured to the words on the stele: "Let's engrave our names on it too. Sizong, what do you think I should do in the future?"

"...You are proficient in the art of war, and you can serve as a staff officer for an army." Ruan Ji was so disturbed that he couldn't read the book, and he replied absent-mindedly.

Sima Zhao nodded without thinking too much, "Sizong knows music theory and is good at poetry and books, not to mention literature and anecdotes, even if he does too often, it is not difficult to be ranked in Jiuqing."

"Taichang Jiuqing is high-ranked and boring...I want to be the general who supervises the unified side, and I will enlist you to join the army in the future." Ruan Ji smiled helplessly and responded casually.

This was probably the biggest joke they ever made in their youth.Later, Ruan Ji didn't become a general, and he didn't even want to join the army; Sima Zhao went from being a general to supervising the army, from being a deputy commander to being a general; Ruan Ji was enlisted by him as an aide, but he never showed even a little bit about the war concern.

Sima Zhao got a knife and pen from nowhere, stuck it against the stele and began to carve characters, very busy.

Ruan Ji was originally glad that his son could finally be quiet, but who knew that this person would talk nonsense when he was in a hurry, talking about the topic at random, which made him dumbfounded, and finally simply ignored him.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a sudden noise all around.The youths in the dormitory rushed out in a swarm, echoing back and forth and walking outside.One of them, Deng Yang, saw Ruan Ji and Sima Zhao under the stele, and waved to them with a raised voice: "It's time to eat! Come on, your brother loses, he's the host today!"

Sima Zhao shook his sore arm, heard the sound and looked over, and saw Master Sima walking towards him with straight steps.He asked curiously: "How could you lose? Didn't you have an advantage at first?"

"So what if you start to gain the upper hand? Some people have deep merits and fame, and they can win by enduring first and then attacking." Sima Shi said half jokingly and half seriously, "Second brother, everyone will go hunting in the mountains in the afternoon, and we will go back together after lunch. change clothes."

"Okay!" Sima Zhao responded immediately, "I haven't hunted for a long time, and I almost can't use a bow anymore!"

Master Sima nodded and asked Ruan Ji, "Is the heir here?"

Ruan Ji smiled politely, "I won't go, thank you Ziyuan."

"Why don't you go?" Sima Zhao asked hastily.As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he suddenly realized——

Most of Taixue's students are noble sons who live in the capital. Their fathers held important positions in the court and lived affluently.

But Sizong is different-Sizong just lives in Luoyang.

Although the Ruan family of Chen Liu was not from a poor family, the Ruan Ji family was indeed poor.In addition, Ruan Ji was away from home alone, and his food and clothing were all supported by wealthy people in the clan, so his life was much more difficult than his classmates.

Thinking about it this way, Sima Zhao felt compassionate—all relatives and relatives of the descendant clan are in their hometown, living in a foreign land, with no one to rely on, let alone a field hunting outfit.

"Brother, let the successor choose the right ones for the extra horse equipment at home."

"It's really unnecessary, I'm not good at hunting." Ruan Ji hastily declined.

"You're welcome," Sima Zhao said decisively, "Let's all go out together to have fun, our family has no shortage of equipment."

Ruan Ji had no choice but to say, "Son, I really don't want to go."

Sima Zhao looked at him suspiciously, seeing that the other party had no intention of going.He didn't know what to do for a while, so he complained boringly: "It's rare that there is no class in the afternoon, and you will grow mold if you don't move."

Ruan Ji rolled his eyes at him, "How about this—I heard that there is a Caiwei Temple at the foot of the mountain dedicated to Boyi and Shuqi, why don't we set off together, you go hunting, I will go to the temple to have a look, and we will meet again in the evening."

The Sima brothers looked at each other.

"The mountain road is complicated and there are many wild beasts. What should you do if you are alone in danger?" Sima Zhao couldn't help frowning.

"This..." Ruan Ji tilted his head to think about it, and suddenly put on a sly expression, "Mountains stand upright, and scenery stops. If you have such a heart, why don't you go to the temple to pay homage to the ancient gentleman."

Master Sima nodded, "You two are good, we can take care of each other on the way. Second brother, what do you think?"

Sima Zhao was very straightforward, "Yes, you go hunting, and I will go with the heir."

"Okay, you must meet with me before dark." Sima Shi ruled, "It's a pity that we don't go hunting, wasting the once-a-year spring."

Sima Zhao showed an indifferent expression.Ruan Ji glanced at him secretly, but smiled quietly.

"General, how do you see the repair here?"

A respectful voice sounded beside his ears, and Sima Zhao was dragged back to reality, only to see Yang Dan waiting for his answer with questioning eyes.

"Not bad. The environment is elegant, with an atmosphere of academic study." He looked at the courtyard in front of him, and vaguely recognized that this was the place where the stele was placed. "It's just a little more ornate, I don't know—"

Everyone was waiting for the next sentence, but saw that the general was looking into the distance, his brows were tightened.

The northeast part of the sky was covered with a cloud of gray smoke—many people had already noticed it, but the smoke was not obvious at first, and no one dared to disturb the general to observe the study, so no one raised it for a while.

"To the northeast is Shouyang Mountain," Jia Chong said seriously, "I'm afraid it's a mountain fire."

The weather is dry in spring, and the forest is still in the fire ban period.If someone broke the rules and caused a fire, it was very possible.

Sima Zhao hurriedly led the crowd out of the academy, surrounded by houses, and after wandering around for a long time, he couldn't find a place where he could see the mountain.

He immediately called two soldiers, "Immediately investigate the source of the smoke. Notify Zhi Jinwu and his deployment, and be ready to go out of the city for disaster relief at any time."

The two said yes, and hurried down to carry out the order.

Seeing this posture, the doctor in charge stepped forward cautiously, "Then general, will you continue to visit today?"

Before the words fell, Jia Chong coughed lightly and winked at the doctor.Seeing this, the doctor stepped back knowingly and said nothing.

Fire has always been regarded as the punishment of the gods - in the past when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the ancestral temple of the great ancestor Liu Bang caught fire, and Dong Zhongshu blamed it on the unfairness of Emperor Wu.Today, I was urging the officials to persuade them to come in. If there was a fire in the mountains, it was hard to guarantee that people who opposed Sima Zhao in the court would not make a fuss about it.

Sima Zhao frowned as he observed the large cloud of smoke, and the noisy discussions made him even more uneasy.